Destination-sign.



L. s. HUNTER. DESTINATION slGN.

APPLICATION FILED JAH.2, I9I5.

Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

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wherein- UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

LYTLE GALE HUNTER, or FLUSHINQNEW YORK.

DESTINATION-SIGN.

Specicatio of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

Application led January 2, 1915. Serial No. 81.

To all lwhom t may concern Be it known that I, LYTLE GALE HUNTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Flushing, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new which will be 'simple in construction, eiiicient in operation, and in which the usual spring rollers for maintaining proper ltension on the flexible web or bandmay be dispensed with. I accomplish these objectsb providing the rollers upon which the we or band is wound With driving means ada-pted to be alternately coupled with the respective rollers according -to the direction in which the band is to be wound, so that said driving means will be connected to the roller upon lwhich the band is being wound, and disconnected from the one from which it is being unwound. I may also provide the rollers with retarding means to hold the same against too free rotation, which might result -in slackening and bulging of the web 'or band.

The invention consists in the improvements to be more fully described hereinafter, and

the novelty of which will be particularly.

pointed out and distinctly claimed.

I fully and clearlyillustrate my invention in the accompanying drawings, to be taken as part of this specification and Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of a preferred embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail section on line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. Seis an enlarged vertivcal section of Fig. 1, on the line of the brake faces 52. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view with parts broken away and partly in Spection of the right hand portion of Fig. *1.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference: As a support for the moving parts, I employ a rectangular frame com- 1, 2, and vertical end members 3, 4, connectlng the same, said frame being of stout, r1g1d material, such as metal, in order to maintain its form, and adapted to be setwithin the usual box, not shown, forming -part of such a sign. As these boxes are well known in the art I do not deem it essential lto either show or describe one herein. At one end of the frame is arranged a vertical bearing member, preferably in the form of a plate 5 adapted to t 'snugly against the end Wall 3, and held in position by upper and lower pins 6 carried by said end wall 3 and seated in openings 7 in said plate. Supported at the upper end of the plate 5 is a bearing bracket comprisin a vertical plate 8 parallel to and spaced om the bearing plate 5 and mounted upon upper and lower studs 9 rigidly connected in any suitable manner to the upper end of said plate 5.

At the lower end of said plate 5 is a vertically disposed bearing plate 10 mounted 4on studs 11 rigidly connected to the plate 5 in any suitable manner. At the opposite end of the frame from that supporting the plate 5 is a bearing plate 12 extending parallel to the end member 4 of the frame and having upper and lower open-ended/'horizontal slots or recesses 13 to receive upper and lower pairs of studs 14'mounted on the end member 4, whereby the said plate 12 is secured in place in the frame. The arrangement and construction of the slots in the plate 12 and the studs 14 to be engaged by said slots 13 is such that said plate may be removed bodily from the frame by lateral movement of said plate and is also capable of movement toward and away from the end member 4 for a purpose to be presently described.

Carried by the bearing plate 8 between the same and the end plate 5 is a horizontal bearing sleeve 15, the inner end of which terminates short of said end plate 5, and mounted to revolve in said sleeve is a stub said plate 8 and is provided with a head 17 having a cross-slot 18 adapted tovengage a cross-pin 19 in a socket 20 in the end of a roller 21, the latter being provided with end anges 22 and adapted to have a band 31 wound thereon. The stub shaft 16 is shouldered asat 23, adjacent the said head 17 so as to limit movement of the shaft to prising upper and lower horizontal members "shaft 16 one end of which projects beyondv teeth 4.2.

ward the plate 5. The opposite end of the stub shaft 16 from that carrying the head 17 projects beyond the inner end of said sleeve and has bearing in an opening 24 in the said end plate 5. The opposite end of the roller referred to is provided with a pintle 25 having bearing in an opening 26 in the plate 12, heretofore described. Mounted onithe shaft adjacent the plate 5 is a clutch member 27 rigidly connected to said shaft to turn therewith and provided on its face toward the roller with inclined clutch teeth 28, said clutch head abutting the end of said bearing sleeve to limit movement of said shaft Vtoward the roller. Mounted kon the bearing sleeve 15 between the bearing plate 8 and `Said clutch head 27 is a worm gear 29 free to turn on said sleeve 15 and capable of movement lengthwise thereof, said worm gear being provided on its face toward the clutch head with clutch teeth 30 adapted to interengage the teeth on said clutch head 27 to lock said worm gear 29 to said clutch head, whereby the rotation of the worm gear will rotate the said shaft 16 to turn the roller to wind the web or band 31 thereon. It will be understood that when the worm gear 29 is disengaged from the clutch head 27 the roller 21 will be permitted to turn freely in the direction to have the web or band unwound from said roller.

Extending through the plate 10, and having bearing therein, is a stub shaft 32, one end projecting inward beyond said plate 10 and provided with a transverse slot 33 adapted to engage a cross-pin 34 in a socketin the end of a lower roller 35 having end flanges 36, the opposite end of said roller having a pintle37 arranged to turn in a. bearing opening 38 in the plate 12, heretofore described. The opposite end of said shaft bridges the space between the plate 10 and the plate 5 and has bearing in a horizontally-disposed bearing sleeve 39 rigid with the plate 5, said shaft having a shoulder 40 vto Contact the end of said sleeve to limit horizontal movement of said shaft in one direction. On the shaft is mounted a clutch head 41 rigidly connected to said shaft in any suitable manner and provided on its face toward the plate 5 with clutch said bearing sleeve 39, and capable of movement longitudinally thereotl is a worm pinion 43 provided on its face toward said clutch head with a series of clutch teeth 44 adapted to coperate with the clutch teeth on said clutch head to turn the stub shaft and the roller connected thereto, when said pinion 43 is moved toward the clutch head and is rotated, as will be hereinafter described. At the upper and lower ends of the frame adjacent the worm gears 29, 43, are horizontally disposed bearing brackets Mountedto turn freely on theV 45 having bearing openings 46 to receive a vertically disposed operating shaft 47, the lower end of which projects downward through an opening 48 in the lower member ofthe frame and carries an operating crank 49, whereby said shaft is rotated. This shaft carries upper and lower worm pinions 50, 51, rigidly connected thereto, and arranged in mesh respectively with the worm gear 29 and the worm gear 43, whereby said gears and rollers 21, 35, be rotated individually to take up the web. The arrangement is such that when the shaft 47 is rotated in one direction the thrust eX- erted upon the pinions 29, 43, by the gears 50, 51, on the said shaft will serve to move one of said pinions 29, 43, lengthwise of its shaft to disengage it from the clutch head thereon, while the other of said pinions will be moved lengthwise of its shaft to connect vit with the clutch head on its shaft. For instance, upon rotation of the shaft to the right, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the pinion 29 on the upper shaft .16 will be moved lengthwise of the shaft to disconnect it from the clutch head 27, whereby the roller 21 lis free to rotate, while the pinion 43 on the e serve-to connect the pinion on the shaft A16 with the clutch head on said shaft, whereby the latter is positively driven in winding direction while the pinion'on the shaft 43 is disconnected from the clutch head thereon to permit said shaft 32 to rotate freely.

In order that the rollers will not turn too freely, and particularly to retard the roller from which the band is being unwound, I provide the bearing plate 12 adjacent the ends of the rollers with brake faces 52, 52, and provide said plate with means for applying said brake surfaces to the ends of the rollers so that the rotationJ of the latter is retarded and the web 31 held under proper tension. Any means may be provided for accomplishing this result, but I prefer to provide a thrust screw 53 threaded through vsaid plate 12 and having its end arranged plates and rollers in a direction substantially lengthwise of the frame to disengage the end` plate 5 from the studs 6 carried by the end frame member 3.

By the above construction it will be,- seen that itis not necessary to employ spring rollers for winding the web and maintaining proper tension thereof, as by my invention the web may be readily wound from one roller to the other without regard to the size of the rollers, the amount or length of web Wound on them, or speed at which the rollers are revolved, as the web will always be maintained under proper tension.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is- 1. In a destination sign, a pair of rollers, a sign-bearing web wound thereon, an operating shaft disposed transversely of said rollers and rotatable in opposite directions, independent sets of gearing connectingsaid shaft with said rollers, and means including a plurality of clutch members movable transversely of the shaft whereby rotation of said shaft connects and disconnects said sets of gearing in accordance with the direction of rotation of said shaft.

2. In a destination sign, a pair of rollers, a sign-bearing web wound thereon', an operating shaft, independent sets 'of gearing movable relatively to and'connecting said shaft with said rollers, and means whereby rotation of said shaft connects one set of gearing with its roller and disconnects the other set of gearing from its roller.

3. In a destination sign, a pair of rollers,

a sign-bearing web wound thereon, an op-4 erating shaft rotatable in op osite direc.

tions, independent sets of gearmg for driving each roller from said shaft, clutches actuated by and adapted to connect said sets of gearing to the respective rollers, and means whereby rotation of said shaft auto- 'matically acts upon said gearing to connect anddisconnect said clutches.

4. In a destination sign, a pair of rollers, a sign-bearing web wound thereon, an operating shaft rotatable in opposite directions, and carrying a worm gear for each roller', a clutch associated with each roller, a member of each clutch being movable to connect and disconnect the clutch and provided with a worm gear, said clutch worm Y gears meshing with the worm gears on said operating shaft, whereby. the thrust on said gears operates 4to connect and ldisconnect the driving connection l between ythe said shaft and rollers.

5. In a destination sign, a pairof rollers,

a sign-bearing web wound on said rollers,

an operating shaft rotatable in opposite directions, a clutch Amember fixed to rotate with one of said rollers, a second clutch member movable into and out of engagement with said first clutch member, a worm gear connectedto said second clutch member to rotate the latter, and a worm gear on said shaft in mesh with said first-named worin gear, the arrangement being such that the thrust between said worm gears engages and disengages the clutch members.

6. In a`destination sign, a pair of rollers, a sign-bearing web wound thereon, an operating shaft rotatable in opposite directions, independent sets of gearing connecting said shaft with said rollers, means whereby iLotation of said shaft imparts endwise movement to said sets of gearing to connect and disconnect the same in accordance with the direction of rotation of said shaft, andbrakes for retarding rotation of said rollers.

7. In a destination sign, a pair of rollers, l

a sign-bearing web wound thereon, an operating shaft rotatable in opposite directions, a pair of shafts connected to said rollers respectively, a clutch head fixed to each of said shafts, a movable clutch head on each-shaft adapted to coperate with the fixed clutch head thereoma wormagear connected to each movable clutch head, and worm gears on said operating shaft meshing witlithe worm gears connected to thekmovable clutch heads.

. 8. In a destination sign, a frame, a pair of rollers, a sign-bearing web mounted on said rollers, a bearing plate spaced from a member of said frame, a sleeve supported by said bearing plate, a shaft connected to one of said rollersV and projecting through said sleeve and having a clutch member thereon, a worm gear mounted on said sleeve to rotate thereon and move longitudinally thereof, and having means to coperate with said clutch, a second bearing plate spaced from said frame member, a sleeve project-l ing, from the frame member, a shaft connected to the other roller. and having bearing in said sleeve and provided with a clutch member, a worm gear mounted on said sec- 

